


The End Of The World

by deanandsam



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst and Feels, Brotherly Love, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Post-Apocalypse, Tag to Episode: s11e10 The Devil in the Details
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29175816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deanandsam/pseuds/deanandsam
Summary: This time the Winchesters’ best efforts haven’t been enough to save the world. They themselves are being hunted down by Lucifer. Never has the brothers' destiny seemed so grim but as always, it's their love which shines through it all.Takes place after Castiel lets Lucifer use him as a vessel. It goes AU from there.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11
Collections: Sam and Dean Winchester Gen





	The End Of The World

The brothers’ eyes shared the misery of a catastrophic defeat.  
This time the Winchesters’ best efforts hadn’t been enough to save the world.

As the two men studied the incredible desolation which stretched out on all sides as far as the horizon, a blossoming awareness crept in. Perhaps the Earth was never meant to be saved, and Sam and Dean’s efforts had merely procrastinated events, giving it an extension of life, like a death-bound patient kept alive only by the help of a machine, one which sooner or later would be switched off.  
At the end of the day, they hadn’t been able to do anything to stave off the catastrophe. Not even the sum of their combined knowledge of the supernatural, their experience, their undoubted abilities nor sheer will-power had been able to avoid the Apocalypse the second time around.

Some years before, Castiel had tried to take over Heaven by opening the gates to Purgatory, and for his foolhardiness became infested by the Leviathans.  
He hadn’t succeeded then but like the Apocalypse, Castiel’s destiny was only on hold. It too came full circle when he allowed Lucifer to use him as a vessel after Rowena cast a spell to bring him temporarily from the Cage.

But even siblings who superficially hate each other, remain brothers, and wearing Cass as his meat-suit, Lucifer opened the Cage and allowed Michael go free.  
There were none of those pesky problems with meat-suits this time around. Michael still had Adam at his disposal and Castiel’s beefed-up meat-suit did the job just fine for Lucifer.  
As it seems nostalgia affects angels too, even Stull Cemetery got its second lease of life, the celestial beings choosing to go another round of the prize-fight in the same place.

What was different though, was the outcome of the bout.  
The players were evenly matched, with neither managing to get the upper hand and while both lay drained and exhausted among the cracked and broken tombstones of the cemetery, they reached a pact.  
They’d share what was left of the Earth. They even signed a contract in angelic grace, just to make it official.  
Each would rule their own kingdom, Michael-Heaven, and Lucifer-Hell, leaving the other the fuck alone.

The post-apocalyptic Earth would be their playground and the small number of humans who remained kept for slaves or amusement. Of them, only a select few would be allowed to reproduce, in order to keep the strain alive.  
Man had been defeated but they still remained God’s creation and if Father ever showed up, the two archangels preferred keeping some around. Just in case Dad got pissed!

:

The desolation which encircled the two brothers was numbing to behold. The once towering skyscrapers and suburbs of Chicago were now a grey, putrid, smoking wasteland, with the rest of the world in a similar state. Nothing had been saved. The bunker too was a mass of smoldering ruins.  
It had been among the first buildings to receive attention from Lucifer/Cass.  
The siblings had barely managed to make it out before the destruction.

Dean’s voice echoed bleakly in the silence of the wasteland. "We lost, Sammy." His eyes met the weary ones of his brother. ‘We tried our best and it wasn’t good enough--nowhere near. ‘  
Sam was as distraught as Dean, but the man standing at his side needed to be comforted, encouraged, buoyed up. And for the younger Winchester, Dean would always come first, before himself, before anything.  
Yeah, the world was in shambles, humanity all but exterminated, but as Dean had said, they’d done their best. It just hadn’t been enough.

"There’s nothing more we could have done, Dean,’ Sam replied in the soothing voice which always calmed his sibling’s anguish. ‘We did our best, as you say but we’re only two humans against the might of Heaven and Hell. I know you’d have given your life to save Earth but that wouldn’t have helped. Nothing could."

Dean’s smile was wistful and ironic at the same time. "It’s not as if we haven’t given our lives before, Sammy. And it’s NEVER helped! All we’ve suffered in the past was always going to be for nothing. We were never going to be able to stop the Apocalypse. I can see that now.  
It was just a question of time. The angels would have kept on trying until they got what they wanted."

"What are we going to do now, Dean? We’ve managed to avoid being captured, but it can’t last forever. Lucifer and Michael are hunting us down."  
Dean rubbed at his forehead, his shoulders slumped in defeat. ‘Fuck if I know, Sammy. If your big brain has any ideas, this is the time to parade them out.’

Sam turned to lean on the roof of the Impala as he’d done innumerable times before, the feel of the cold steel seeping through his worn sleeves giving him comfort.  
Dean and the Impala, the two polar stars in his life from as far back as he could remember.  
The car, though as beaten and bruised as its occupants, still miraculously ran, thanks to the spit and glue repairs Dean managed to come up with.  
Nevertheless she, like them, had reached the end. There was nothing more to give.

Laying his head on his hands, Sam let out a lingering exhale. "Our options are pretty limited, Dean. Essentially, we’ve got nowhere to run. Even if we put a gun to our heads, we end up in Heaven or Hell and I’m guessing fun is NOT what we’re going to find."  
Dean scuffed at the dry, cracked terrain with the worn toe of his boot. "Then we don’t die," he replied. "The first thing they’ll do is separate us and that’s worse than anything else they could come up with. I’m not going anywhere without you, Sammy."

For a moment, Sam remained silent, then with a huff declared. "I’m guessing the dying thing is kinda inevitable, Dean. It’s not as if we’re Superman- -as long as we don’t run into Kryptonite we live forever!"  
"Dude, if I wasn’t already depressed before, you put the cap on it."

Sam allowed himself a fluttering smile. As long as he had Dean by his side, there were always going to be options, even if, at the moment, he couldn’t imagine a single one.  
"We can’t stay out here in the open for much longer, Dean. We’re going to have to find somewhere to hide out."

"I’d like to know where. There’s hardly anything left standing. We gotta look for a service station. Even if it’s in ruins we might be able to siphon out some gas from the underground tanks. My baby’s special but even she can’t run on air."

Like two strangers on what was now similar to some alien planet, they needed a temporary shelter before having to grapple with the problem of life, death and eternity as they’d had to do since they were children; and just as when they were children, they cleaved to each other, drawn together by the threads of fate, destiny, and a love that went beyond all.  
Lucifer and Michael might have risen, taken over Earth, and devastated it for their own childish spite and pleasure, but none of that could diminish Sam and Dean’s bond. Verily it could move mountains and one defeat, however huge, didn’t mean the war was lost.

Sam folded his lanky body into the passenger seat, while Dean took his place behind the wheel.  
As they drove, the landscape racing by the windows remained the same grey desolation.  
"Why would the angels have wanted this?" Sam murmured sadly. "Why lay waste to the Earth? What advantage does it bring them?"

Dean huffed. "They’re bullies, dude. Childish, evil bullies. They never needed nor wanted humankind and now they’ve had their way."

"There’s a gas station up ahead," Sam pointed out excitedly. "If we find enough, I know where we can hole up for a while. That is if it’s still there."  
Dean raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "You gonna share or what?"

"You’ll know when we arrive."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

When they drew into what had been Bobby Singer’s Salvage Yard, incredibly enough, there were a few piles of cars still standing, though the burnt remains of what had once been Bobby’s house blended in well with this new world’s panorama.

“We gonna hide in one of those rust buckets?” Dean asked with sarcasm, turning his gaze on his brother.  
“No, in what’s underneath,” Sam replied. “I’m guessing the panic room’s still there. If we dig, we should be able to get access to the door through what’s left of the cellar.  
The garage where Bobby kept his utensils is still standing. We can hide the Impala inside.”

“I don’t know, Sammy. Even if we do get into the panic room, we can’t stay there forever.”

“Until we come up with a plan, I don’t see why not. It’s warded against everything. Check out the shovels, dude. We got some digging to do.”

The Impala safely tucked away out of sight in the ramshackle garage, the brothers got to work and to their satisfaction, they found the basement still accessible. After lowering themselves down, they managed to open the panic room door.  
“This place brings back bad memories,” Dean said with a shiver, as he stepped inside the circular room.  
“Yeah,” Sam agreed, recalling the days spent here, undergoing detox from the demon blood. “But we can’t dwell on them. We’ve got bigger things to worry about now. I wonder if there are any supplies still around,” he added. “Bobby used to store the basics in those little cupboards over there.”

“I doubt there’s anything edible,” Dean sighed.  
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a burger, or anything vaguely resembling fresh. But he wasn’t grumbling too much. Even the gas station snacks and candy were better than starving to death.

Sam pulled out some uninspiring, past-their-sell-by-date bottles of water, and power bars that had seen better days. But the medical stuff, cotton-wool, disinfectant, and unopened bandages could still be useful.  
“No hamburger and fries hidden away, I’m guessing,” Dean grumbled.  
“Fraid not.”

The two camp beds which were the circular room’s only sleeping arrangements were dusty and uninviting but to Dean, no luxurious four-poster could’ve looked better. He pushed the two beds together in the middle of the floor, before throwing himself down on one side, still fully dressed  
“I’m beat, Sam. You must be too. Get over here. It’s like a fridge. I need your body heat to warm me up.”

Sam rolled his eyes, but he complied more than enthusiastically. They’d always been close. Too close many would say, but neither he nor Dean gave a fuck about anyone’s opinion.  
As soon as he lay down, Dean spooned himself around his brother.  
“You had a good idea, Sammy. At least for tonight, we can rest secure that no angel will be interrupting our beauty sleep.”

“Dean,” Sam said, turning to face his brother.  
“What, dude? Shut up and go to sleep. And keep your bony knees to yourself,” Dean muttered, snuggling into his sibling. The panic room might act as a temporary haven but it was freezing cold, the metal walls leaching out every bit of body warmth in the room.

“You remember that universe we got sent to, where we had counterparts who were actors.”  
“That universe where you were married to Ruby?”

Although it was pitch black in the room, Dean knew his sibling was proffering a bitch-face. ”You never gonna let me live that down?’ Sam growled.  
Dean gave a chuckle. “This is the first time I’ve mentioned it!”

“No, it isn’t!”  
“It is, man. Must be your imagination playing up!”  
“Pfft,” Sam huffed. “Anyhow, I was thinking we might find a way back to that world. If I remember, the supernatural doesn’t exist there. It could be a place we’d be safe.”

Wide awake by now, Dean stared at him, an incredulous expression on his face. “You want to abandon this world to its fate. Wow! Never thought I’d hear you say that.”  
Sam lowered his eyes. “Dean we’ve got to face facts. We tried everything to stop the Apocalypse but nothing worked. What more can we do? At least there we’d be safe, you’d be safe, Dean. I…. don’t want to see you suffer. I couldn’t take it.  
I’m done, Dee, empty, wiped out. Then it’s not like we couldn’t regroup and come back if we wanted to. As I said before, we can’t even die in peace.”

Dean’s snort told Sam just what he thought of that idea, but he understood where his sibling was coming from. The blood in his veins turned to ice at the vision of his baby brother being torn apart by the vengeful angels.  
Sam had never gotten over his time in the Cage, a slave to Lucifer’s every perversion. He couldn’t wish that on his brother ever again.  
“I get it, Sam, I do. But even if I was on-board with your idea, the angels sent us to that other reality. We wouldn’t begin to know how to get there on our own.”  
“Maybe there’s something in the lore, “ Sam offered.

“You, little brother are a veritable font of warmth, but it’s freezing in here,” Dean declared, changing the subject. “There’s no way we can set up camp in this freezer of a mouse-hole.”  
Stretching out his hand, Sam laid the back of it against Dean’s cheek. It was cold as ice. He pulled his brother as close as humanly possible and tucked the thin blankets around them both. 

“Hey,” Dean grumbled, “what’s with the hug fest?”  
“You’re freezing and we’ve gotta keep warm before our brains congeal from the cold. We need to keep them up and running or we’re lost.’

Sam was the first to fall into a light sleep allowing Dean studied his sibling’s features, remembering the past. Sam was his kid. Dean had raised him, wiped his tears, soothed his hurts, and fed him so many Lucky Charms that he should’ve grown up to be a leprechaun and not the Jolly Green Giant!  
The thought provoked a sad smile and soon Dean too joined his brother in uneasy slumber.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Luckily enough, there were drums of gasoline in the lean-to garage where the Impala had passed the night. Incredibly, they’d not exploded when the house had caught fire.  
“Finally, we get lucky," Dean declared, examining the unexpected treasure-trove of liquid gold, his breath a white spiral in the cold morning air. ”Sam. Is it just me or is the temperature dropping more and more?”  
“No, it’s not just you, Dean. Now that the fires caused by the explosions are fizzling out, it looks as if the smoke and debris are set to block the sun’s rays, to what degree who knows.” He frowned. “It could be temporary or maybe we’re in for a nuclear winter.”

“Awesome. We’re starved, hunted, have no place to hide and now we’re gonna freeze too. I wonder if the equatorial regions will remain warmer.”  
“Does it matter?” Sam replied. “There’s no way we can ever get there. If the Impala hits one more rut in the road, we’re done.”

Dean rubbed at the back of his neck. He didn’t want to admit it, didn’t want to say anything derogatory about his Baby, but Sam was right. Before long they’d be left on foot.

“You know, that idea of yours about moving our asses to that other universe is getting more tempting by the minute. You got any ideas on how to do it?”  
Sam’s gaze raked over him. “You serious?”  
A shrug was all he got from his sibling as Dean got on with the chore of filling the Impala’s tank, and any other liquid-holding objects he could find. Even an extra beer bottle of gas could mean the difference between life and death in this alien new world.

He turned to glance at his brother, but Sam had disappeared. Dean’s instincts were honed to the sharpest where Sam was concerned. His gut told him his brother wasn’t in danger, though just the fact that Sam was out of sight left him anxious and scared.  
Without him, he’d have gone insane. He needed his sibling more than food or water and Dean knew it was the same for Sam.

For some weird reason, Lisa came to mind. He hadn’t thought about her in years, so when her image pasted itself on his irises, the memories came flooding back. Of how he’d tried to fit in, be a husband and father, respect his promise to Sam to live the apple-pie life.  
In a way, he’d been successful for nearly a year, at least to the outward world.

He’d become if not a dad, then a father figure to Ben, and the kid had become attached to him.  
Dean recalled with a feeling of guilt how he’d repaid that affection; it had become as nothing when Sam turned up so unexpectedly, completely obliterating that life of suburbia.  
But it was Lisa’s words which had penetrated deeply into Dean’s soul, unforgotten because they were true. “The minute Sam walked through that door, I knew it was over. You two have the most unhealthy, tangled-up, crazy thing I've ever seen.”

So it had been, and so it still was.

Dean’s heart, soul, and body belonged to his little brother. He knew he’d never feel for anyone else what he felt for Sam. It was more than love……it had spawned a sentiment which no mere words could describe. It was exclusive, unique, his and Sam’s, theirs alone, to be shared with no one.  
Dean was jealous of that sentiment, possessive of its uniqueness, protective of its oneness.

Swiping a hand across his face as if to eliminate all past memories, he got back to the job in hand, and on what the fuck they were going to do.  
The Winchesters had never enjoyed peace while alive and now to them, death was forbidden too. At least if they didn’t want to end up in Lucifer and Michael’s clutches.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

At first, it was just a rustling, then a scuffle, announcing the presence of someone or something. The bottle he was filling with gas was slowly set down on the ground as Dean pulled his gun from his waistband and turned to face the intruder.  
His mouth dropped open as he saw who was standing there. “Crowley? “ 

Dean’s voice was a mix of surprise and incredulity. He’d believed Lucifer had destroyed any demons who’d been followers of the previous king, not to mention Crowley himself whom Lucifer hated.  
“Dean, “ Crowley said, his hands in the pocket of his black coat. “Nice to see you again.”  
Dean’s hand tightened on the gun handle, though no bullet was going to do any damage to the demon even if he pulled the trigger.

“You come to gloat, asshat?” Dean sneered. “You demons have finally gotten what you wanted, you and your angel friends.”  
“I’m aware you’re the less intelligent of your two-bro army, squirrel, but do I look as if I got what I wanted?” 

Crowley’s voice was tinged with his usual sarcasm. “I too am being hunted down by the douche angel brothers that reduced Earth to this cess-pit.”  
Dean studied him. His gut was telling him Crowley was being truthful, otherwise, Lucifer or Michael would already be here to capture him and Sam.  
“Say I believe you, “ Dean growled,” Why should I give a fuck?”

Crowley gave a glance at the surrounding junkyard.  
“I’m amazed you can still be so bloody cocky, Dean, not when you and Moose are forced to run and hide and will have to continue---until you’re eventually caught. What Luci did to little Sammy in the Cage will be child’s play to what the rest of eternity will mean for you both.”

“I gotta say,” Dean huffed, slipping his gun back into his jeans, “you sure know how to improve a guy’s day. Well, now that you’ve paid us a visit, you can take your ass back to wherever it is you came from.”  
“Moron! I came to offer my help. The three of us are hunted, maybe together we can protect ourselves better. I still have my powers. I don’t need to eat but you two do. I can scout for you, find gas for this monster.” He glared balefully at the impala, “or even better, transport you around demon-style.”

Just then Sam came running towards them, a little pile of books clutched in his hands. He tensed when he saw the familiar figure standing in front of his brother “Dean...?”  
“It’s okay, Sammy. Crowley dropped in to cheer us up.”

“Finally the intelligent one‘s turned up,” Crowley cackled. “I was just trying to explain to your idiot brother that uniting our forces could be beneficial to all three.”  
Sam came to stand at his brother’s side, his shoulder brushing against Dean’s, needing to feel the physical contact that had become so vital to them. 

“Why would you want to help us? We’re powerless against the angels. You’ve nothing to gain. You’re a demon, you can keep jumping around, keep out of their way.”  
“Huh! Maybe my estimate of you being more intelligent was an error, Sam. I’m being hunted just like you two morons. Yes, I can keep jumping around but sooner or later, I’m gonna be spotted. Lucifer destroyed most of Hell’s demons. He’s never made a mystery of hating them but they’ve found a way of making new angels and soon Heaven will be at full capacity and they will find me, and you, sooner or later.  
I’m sure you remember how quickly your once friend Castiel could search out the country in a heartbeat.”

A wave of anger washed over both brothers at the memory of Castiel’s betrayal in allowing Lucifer to use him as a vessel.  
The disaster the world was living had all been due to his bad decision and to this day the Winchesters didn’t understand why he’d done it.

Sam and Dean exchanged glances. The only reason they hadn’t yet been traced was that they still had the angel sigils on their ribs. It gave them a small advantage but if what Crowley said was true, more angels meant even less chance of hiding out.  
They’d talked about the hope that Michael might just forget about them, and focus on Heaven but Sam had soon burst that bubble. “Michael might, but Lucifer won’t. He’ll hound us until we’re too weak to run, then you know what’ll happen.”  
Dean had pulled his brother close, the feel of each other’s body in their arms giving them few minutes of comfort.

With a shrug, Dean stepped away from Sam, picked up the bottle he’d been filling, and continued with the job while Crowley studied them.  
If he didn’t know they were brothers, he’d have sworn they were lovers. The way they looked at each other, their physical closeness, their need to comfort each other with continual touches. Sometimes he wondered if they had indulged in sex together. He was inclined to believe they hadn’t yet their relationship was far more than platonic. It seemed they’d invented a whole new way of loving, unique to the Winchesters alone.

“So,” Crowley asked. “You two got any ideas? “  
Sam gave a hoarse laugh as he added the books to the jumble of stuff on the back seat. “Sorry, Crowley if you thought we’d found a way to fix this, you’re gonna be disappointed.” 

“Well,” Crowley huffed. “What about Purgatory?”  
“What about it? ”Dean echoed.

“I doubt ‘the mother of all’ would take kindly to having her kingdom invaded by angels and demons so maybe she’d lend a hand if the payoff was tempting enough.”

“We didn’t notice hordes of monsters running to the rescue,” Sam grunted. “Those still alive were all too eager to hunt whatever humans had escaped Lucifer and Michael’s purges.”  
Crowley shrugged. “Well, she might not be so laidback if she thought Purgatory was in danger.”

“She’s got no reason to be worried. I doubt anyone wants to invade that dismal place.” Dean added, remembering the months passed there."

”As I once said, Purgatory is vast and Hell adjacent, “ Crowley retorted. “Once Lucifer gets fed up killing demons, he’ll go looking for a new toy to keep himself amused.”  
“And you really believe Eve would welcome us with open arms and decide, on our word, to declare war on Lucifer. Non gonna happen, Crowley.”

“Well,” the demon exhaled in a condescending huff, “if she did accept to talk, at least you two jerks would be safe for a time.”

“Out of the frying pan into the fire, “ Dean declared. “There’s no reason for her not to feed me and Sam to her monsters and I’m not ready to risk my brother in some wild scheme of yours.”  
“Then, there’s no hope. If you two are just gonna hang around moping and hugging, then you’re just as well giving yourselves up to the angel douches while I continue to hop around the world like some kangaroo on steroids for the rest of eternity. Of course, there could be another alternative.”

“We’re all ears, “ Dean said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  
“Moose, here. When he’s juiced up, he could be a valid adversary for Lucifer.”  
“Juiced up?”  
“On demon blood, and there just happens to be a supply handy. Best vintage ever,” Crowley winked. “Good quality stuff. Full of vitamins for aspiring boy kings of Hell.”

Invading the demon’s personal space like a cyclone, Dean gripped the collar of Crowley’s coat, shaking the smaller being like a rag-doll. ”Don’t you even whisper that idea,” he snarled. “There’s no way that’s ever gonna happen. “  
Totally unperturbed, Crowley stood his ground. “Why don’t we ask Sam, he might be more open-minded than you.”

With a frown, Dean let go. Yeah, why hadn’t Sam jumped in as he had with a “Fuck off “ to Crowley’s suggestion? 

He turned to study his sibling. Sam was standing there as if Crowley had just said they needed to go for a burger instead of demon blood. “Sam?”  
Sam flexed his shoulders but his lips continued to be pressed together.  
“What? Please don’t tell me you’re actually considering what this asshole has just said!”  
With a flash of terror, Dean watched as Sam’s jaw jutted forward, the way it always did when he was about to disagree with him.

“No! No way! I won’t sign off on that, not now, not ever!” Dean yelled, terrified at the idea.  
“If it’s the only way to keep you safe, I’m up for it, “ Sam declared, a glint of challenge in the hazel eyes. In a softer tone, he continued, “I don’t care about what happens to me but I do care what happens to you.”  
Dean’s entire body was infused with joy at Sam’s words. Knowing that Sam loved him so profoundly that he’d sacrifice himself to save him, reverberated bone-deep to his very soul but there was no way he was going to let Sam do that to himself. No way!

Completely oblivious to the watching demon, he strode forward and pulled Sam into his arms. This new Dean had shaken off his no chick flick moments long ago. Holding his brother in his arms was his go-to remedy whenever he could take no more of this horrific Earth they now found themselves on. 

“Forget it, “ he whispered against Sam’s neck. “I’ll never let you go down that road again, not for me, not for anyone.”  
Just as fiercely, Sam’s arms encircled his big brother’s body, enclosing the one person dear to him in this entire fucked up world. “It wouldn’t be a sacrifice if it keeps you safe,” he responded in a low voice. “If we could take out Lucifer, things would return to some kind of normality. He’s the one who enjoys torturing and killing the few humans remaining. Michael keeps more to himself. All he really cares about is Heaven.”

Crowley looked on as the Winchesters played out their little fraternal love fest. Once again he wondered if hugs and cuddles were all they exchanged. Not that it would have bothered him in the least. Incest was one of the minor sins and got scarce attention from Hell’s minions.

However, he had to admit, they were kinda sweet. Like two plaid-covered puppies who sniffed each other’s ass in continuation. Moreover, he actually had developed an admiration for the Winchesters. They’d been dealt terrible cards yet here they were hugging it out. 

Love was a potent motivator, Crowley mused.  
He’d never experienced it in any form, beginning with the motherly kind. In a certain twisted way, he sensed that for all their insults and high-handedness towards him, the Winchesters were fond of him, and in lieu of anything better, it was good enough for him to want to help them.

“You two done with the sentimental stuff? If Lucifer finds us, you can say ta-ta to any more close encounters of the hugging kind!” His voice was caustic as was expected of his role.

Dean released his sibling and turned to him. “Sam is not going to juice up on blood. You got that dude!”  
“Yea, yea, yea. Then what’s your suggestion, squirrel? By the way, I’m gonna have to hop off. Don’t want Luci to GPS my arse. Be back when you’ve got this bemouth of a car back on the road.”

:::::::::::::::::::

Left on their own, the brothers concentrated on getting the Impala ready for the road as best they could. Containers of every kind were stuffed into any free angle of the trunk and on the back seat but both were conscious that it was a last valiant gesture in a battle destined to be lost. With dread in his heart, Dean realized his baby would go until she no longer could, and that moment wasn’t far off.

The two men were silent as they left the yard at their back. Even in its current state it still had a familiar feel to it, they’d lived out moments of joy and despair in and around the piles of rusty cars. Now even that would be no more.  
Yet before he turned onto the black-top, Dean laid a hand on his sibling’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. “It’s okay Sammy. As long as we’re together, we can work things out.”  
Sam’s tired eyes told him that he was totally devoid of any optimism, yet the younger man rustled up a smile for his brother. “Yeah. As LONG as we’re together.” 

They didn’t encounter a living soul as they proceeded slowly along the road. The Impala could no longer roar along the highways at high speeds. She’d been relegated from a thoroughbred to a plodding carthorse, but Dean was grateful that she was even moving.  
He didn’t want to imagine what their life would be like when her steel heart gave out.

“So, whatcha think, Sammy, “ Dean asked, breaking the silence that had reigned in the car for the last half-hour.  
“Demon blood or Eve, “ Sam sighed. “Not exactly a tempting choice but I think we’re going to have to try something. We don’t have anywhere to hide. Even if we manage to stay on the run for years, we’ll eventually get old and weak and that would clinch our fate. Mortal humans against immortal angels. Not great odds.”

“Yeah, “ Dean echoed, “but if these are our only choices, then there is no choice. You’re not going down the demon blood path ever again.”  
“Purgatory it is then, “ Sam smiled. He stretched out his arm along the top of the bench seat and cupped Dean’s neck, relishing the familiar warmth of the touch. “Crowley’s a smooth talker. Maybe he’ll manage to convince Eve that trouble’s gonna come her way.” 

“When the cat’s away, the mice gossip “  
Crowley’s snarky voice from the rear seat caused the brothers to roll their eyes. “You could at least have left a spot for me to sit on. I’ve got a heap of bottles under my arse.”

“Where did you go, Crowley? “ Dean asked suspiciously, ignoring the demon’s lament. “Maybe you decided to sell us out.”  
“We made a deal, douchebags,” Crowley snapped. “And when I do, I don’t break them.”  
“Fine. For all I think your plan to talk to Eve is a complete cock-up, that’s what we’re going with. Just the thought of Sam drinking your blood makes me puke.”

“Don’t pay him any attention, Moose,” Crowley replied suavely. “You’d find my blood as heady as the finest wine.”  
“Yeah,” Sam replied in a moment of self-effacing honesty, causing his brother to stare at him in alarm, “I probably would.”

:::::::::::::::::::

“So, how are we gonna do this? “ Dean asked. “ Do we go in together or do you want to play ambassador?”  
“It needs to be all for one and one for all, “ Crowley replied. “If you two morons get caught hanging out top-side while I’m gone then it will all be for nothing.”

“Fine. Do we just say ‘open sesame’ and we’re in?”  
“If I’d known back then that there was a back-door into Purgatory, I’d have gotten hold of the soul energy before your old pal Castiel did and fucked it all up, but I only got this tidbit of news recently. Seems there were guides who’d escort you to Eve’s realm in exchange for certain relics. They’re dead now thanks to Lucifer and Michael’s little crusade but the door’s still there.”

Despite the direness of their situation, Sam’s curiosity was piqued. “And you can access it?”  
“That’s the idea, moose,” Crowley snarked. 

“Point us in the right direction, “ Dean sighed. “Let’s throw our asses into one more mission impossible!”  
“This steel box would take far too long to get us there, that’s saying if it doesn’t break down along the way. Leave her here. I’ll transport you where we need to go. Just think, you’ll get the chance to cuddle up with uncle Crowley,” the demon smirked.

Sam could sense the despair emanating from his big brother at the idea of abandoning the Impala. She’d been their only haven during this entire hell on Earth.  
“We’ll see her again Dean. I know we will,” he whispered. “When things get back to normal, she’ll be waiting.”  
Their eyes met. “Yeah, “ Dean exhaled. “She’ll be waiting.”

In the back seat, Crowley rolled his eyes. These two should have been on the stage. The old biddies in the audience would be crying their eyes out every time!

:::::::::::::::::

The secret entrance was a passage hidden in a graffiti-covered wall in the middle of a dark smelly alleyway and as Crowley held their hands to allow them to pass through Sam couldn’t help but shake his head at the paradox of their lives. Angels had turned out to be the worst dicks in Creation, even worse than the demons of Hell.  
And now they were seeking shelter from a dimension of dead monsters which they’d always hunted down.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

As the foggy twilight of Purgatory appeared around them, the brothers shook off the demon’s hand to stand at each other’s side, their shoulders touching in shared comfort.  
“What now? Dean growled, memories of his time here rushing back.  
“We wait, “ Crowley answered calmly. “As soon as someone shows up. We’ll throw out the immortal phrase. “Take us to your leader.”

“Hilarious, “ Dean snorted. “That’s a plan if I ever heard one. “  
“Nonetheless it’ll work.”  
“Maybe, if the first monsters to arrive don’t take us out without asking why we’re here,” Sam added.  
”You forget I’m the King of Hell, Sam, if temporarily dethroned. I can hold off a few rabid monsters.”

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Crowley might be a douchebag, Dean mused but he had to give him props for correctly predicting the outcome. 

They’d been escorted to Eve and she’d taken their warnings into consideration. That Lucifer might decide to invade her world and conquer it was a believable threat and she was willing to give the Winchesters sanctuary while coming up with a way to protect Purgatory, and if possible bring some semblance of normality back to Earth.  
Her monster children were being exterminated there too.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Eve’s edifice was the only thing resembling a building. All the other inhabitants just grouped together in small numbers, disseminated through the vast, creepy forests.

“At least I’m not being hunted this time around, “ Dean grunted, warming his hands at the camp-fire. “And I’ve got my little brother to have my back.”

Sam, however, didn’t react to the words, he was thinking back to how his brother had been alone in this dismal dangerous place while he was playing husband to Amelia. “I’m so sorry, man, “ he burst out.

Dean frowned. “For what?”  
“For not coming to bail you out.”

Dean got up and hunkered down next to his sibling. “Hey, that’s all in the past. Stop brooding about stuff we can’t change.”  
Sam gave him a watery smile but his eyes were fierce in silently communicating that such a thing would never happen again. Just then an idea came to him. “Let’s take a vow, Dean.”  
“What?”  
“A blood oath, that we’ll never abandon each other, no matter the situation.”

“I don’t need to take an oath for that,“ Dean replied softly. “I’ll never abandon you.”  
”And I won’t abandon you, Dean. But let’s make it tangible. We could maybe get the same rings or something too.”  
“Dude, that is grossly girlie. But,” he grinned, “I like it.”

Solemnly slashing their palms, they pressed them together, the fresh blood mingling as they pronounced an oath never to leave each other, no matter what.

For a moment, there was silence, both men emotionally stoked by the words they’d exchanged. 

”Sorry I can’t conjure up a couple of rings right now,” Dean chuckled, “ but when we get back to Earth… “  
“You really think it’ll ever happen?”  
“I dunno, Sam. I’m no prophet but I’ve always believed good overcomes evil in the end, so I’m gonna remain optimistic.”

“Well,” Sam replied laying an arm across his brother’s shoulders and pulling him close. “If it doesn’t happen, we’ll make a new life for ourselves here in Purgatory. Wherever you are, is Home.”  
Dean’s smile was wide and happy. “Amen to that, Sammy.”

The End.


End file.
